The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1887-05-19
CAPT. sTovER's SNAKE .FARM

From tho Centre Hall Rtpori,r
Ono OF the Centre county stock Of
Stovcrs has a novel way of making
Il living, near Gllion, III. uo has q
ratuosnake farm and hero is the
description of it 10y newspaper
correspondent.
Your correspondent last Sunday
visited The celebrated snake farm
'Tattlosnako forty'-noar this will.
age, owned and managed by Capt.
Dan Stover aud wife, aud assisted
by William Dunn, agent at the llli-
noi3 Central depot. 1t might be
suruii6ed that tho breeding and
Ipropagation Of rattlesnabes and 9TH
er reptiles was not only u danger
GUS but al uLpleast mt occupation
However, those poor but honest
people have learned that there is
money in enalIes, and last year thoy
cleared almost enough from their
sales to pay The expenses Of the
family OF four:
"Who buy rattlesnakes, and what
on earth do they want with them ?"
you ask. Why, for uso in the man.
ufacture Of the Eow euro for rhou-
matism. A firm in Philadelphia
uses the oil in its remedy and pays
a good price for every rattlosuake
delivered at the laboratory. Mr.
Stovor has contracted with tho firm
to furnish them 80 of that species
during tho present season at 81
each, none to measure less than four
feet in length, or to lie less than six
years Of ago. The older tho snake
the better aud stronger the oil.
Sunday tho sun shono out bright
aud warm, which brought out the
snakes in large numbers to bask in
tho warm rays, and as Mr.. Stover
said, would be good day TO take II
stroll over "rattlesnako forty" Pro-
curing n good stout stick and dom
ming heavy pair of boots, your
correspondent ioided Stover aud
Damn in the hunt. TO show us how
easy it is to kill u snake, he p cked
up n blue racer by the tail, that was
lying coilod up in the sunlight, in Il
half comatose condition. and giving
it couple Of whirls over his head in
a lightning manner he cracked it
like whip, causing its bead to part
from it's body and spin through the
air, Proceeding Il little further, we
cane 10 tho mounds little raised
places on the snake farm, whore the
snakes burrow in winter and breed
IL summer. There arc thirty sovcu
ct these mounds on the farm aud on
tho south sido of ono of the largest
OF these, where they could get tho
ful! benefit Of the sun, lay coiled up
sound asleep fourty three largo rnt-
tlesn1Eos, seven black snakes and
Numerous other smaller loptilos, col
one OF which seemed to recognize
our presence. Stoyer aud Damn do
not kill OF the whole crop yearly,
but leave many for breeding pur.
poses.
Why said tho former, "that
mound there contains probably a
dozen nests OF eggs and each nest al
least ten eggs. l have found nests
that contained as high as eighteen
young rattlers, tho largest not over
Two inches il lougth. TLoir eggs
are about tho size of those of a par
fridge, but have q soft sholl, The
farm is tract of virgin prairie, and
has mover seen a plough, and Dan
says in summer its native grass is
very high, rendering it an excellent
place for the reptiles to hide in
Mrs Stovor also had in Il box Of
saw dust under a cook stove twenty
soyen rattlesnake eggs, which, she
said, would begin to hatch in a few
days, after which event the children
would be kept busy catching flies
to feed the tiny pets.
Slower and Dunn have several pet
rattlers around the house, which are
rs harmless as kittens, made 20 by
their poison sac having been re-
moved from the roofs OF tLeir mouth
and their fGngs clipped with pincers
all this being done whilo the snakes
were under tho influence OF chloro
form. They have no equal as mice
oxterminators, and in tho summo
keep the place FREQ from bugs, Gioi
and ad boyo.